Scientists discover why long COVID affects lungs differently

Publication date: Jul 02, 2025

This molecule is linked to fibrosis and has been seen in other lung diseases. Features of CD8+ T cell populations enriched in patients with restrictive lung disease. A major study from the University of Virginia finds that specific immune changes in Long COVID patients reveal the severity of their lung damageoffering new hope for targeted treatments. However, fibrotic lung damagescarring of lung tissuewas still present in many even two years after their infection. For example, people with restrictive lung diseasea condition where the lungs cannot expand fullyshowed two main immune patterns. These differences helped researchers understand how complex Long COVID really is. Interestingly, 41% of patients improved over time, shifting into a group with milder lung problems. In those with more severe lung scarring, other immune markers appeared. (CREDIT: Nature Immunology)Another surprise was that some patients had severe fatigue and breathing issues but normal lung function.

Concepts Keywords
Breathlessness Covid
Cd103 Credit
Immunologylong Damage
Virginia Disease
Woodfolk Found
Immune
Infection
Long
Lung
Lungs
Markers
Nature
Scarring
Severe
Specific

Semantics

Type Source Name
disease MESH scarring
disease MESH causes
disease IDO blood
disease IDO cell
disease MESH lung disease
drug DRUGBANK Tropicamide
disease MESH lung injury
disease IDO immune response
drug DRUGBANK Anakinra
disease MESH infection
disease MESH return to work
disease MESH COVID-19
disease MESH long COVID
disease MESH inflammation
disease MESH fibrosis
disease IDO protein
pathway REACTOME Immune System
disease MESH Breathlessness
drug DRUGBANK Oxygen

Original Article

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